Rail construction.



M. R. BROWN.

. RAIL CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED DEG.18, 191s Patented Mar. 24, 191

rrnn s'rATEs PATENT OFFICE.

MARSHALL R. BROWN, OF BE'LLEFONTAINE, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OIE ONE-HALF. TO DOW AIKIN, 0F BELLEFONTAINE, OHIO.

RAIL CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented B131, 24, 1914:.

Application filed December 18, 1913. Serial No. 807,508.

To all whom it may concern Bellefontaine, in the county of Logan and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail Constructions, of which the following is a specification.

Owing to the character and construction of road beds which are predestined to be adopted in the future by reason of scarcityof the usual materials employed heretofore, and the compulsory equipment of rolling stock of metallic or rigid structures, it becomes necessary to secure some economical means of providing for resiliency for the protection of said stock, the articles or passengers transported thereby, and the provision for such resiliency is the primary object of my invention which relates to improvements in rail constructions.

To the end of accomplishing the foregoing object, my invention comprehends the provision of a rail comprising two essential elements, namely, a tread or ball portion and a base portion forming a chair which is adapted to receive the former and to provide a resilient seat therefor, said elements so cooperating in assembled position-as to eliminate the necessity of employing fish plates or, in the repairing of worn tread surfaces,.

of withdrawing the fastening members for the rail from the ties on which it is disposed.

More specifically, the base portion or subrail of my device consists of a sheet of metallic material pressed, rolled or bent so as to form an interlocking web portion for cooperation with the tread member and base flanges by means of which the rail is secured upon the road bed or ties, said sheet also preferably comprising a tie engaging flange or bead for preventing the spreading of rails.

With these and further objects in view, as will in part hereinafter be set forth and in part become apparent, the invention comprises certain novel constructions, combinations and arrangements of parts, as herein specified and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a rail constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a modification of the arrangement of parts.

Fig. 8 shows a fragmentary perspective viewof the sheetmaterial from which the base Be it known that I, MARSHALL R. BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at section or portion of the rail is formed pre vious to bending of the same.

Throughout the following detail description, and on the several figures of the drawlng, similar parts are referred toby like ref erence characters. i a,

Specifically describing my rail, the same comprises the tread element or member A and the base member B. As hereinbefore mentioned the basemember B consists of a sheet of metal, the under surface of which is formed with'a narrow tie engaging flange or bead l, the function of which will be hereinafter more fully set forth.- The sheet 13 in the formation of a chair or base .rail section to receive the tread member A is bent along its lateral portions back upon itself so as to form the horizontally extending base flanges 2 extending oppositely, and these base flanges are suitably provided with openings 3 through which spikes may be driven to fasten the railnpon' its bed or ties. The longitudinal edges of the sheet metal are bent at angles to the base flanges 2 in an upward direction to formthe web portion which is designated in the drawing by the characters 4: 4; In the preferred embodiment of the rail construction this web portion is formed so that the edges 4-4: are disposed in spaced relation to each other to receive the web portion 5 formed on the tread member A.' Openings 6 are provided through the web portion of the base member B in which suitable fastening members,such

as rivets, bolts or the like, (not shown) may be passed .to interlockingly secure the tread member A in its proper position on the base member B; The openings 6 are preferably elongated slots so as to accommodate relative expansion and contraction of the rail members in actualuse of the same. It is to be noted also that in the preferred construcby reason of the bending of the base member as hereinbefore described.

In Fig. 1 it is to be noted that the side portion of the base member B designated 4c is wider than the side portion 4; and the longitudinal edge of the side portion a is bent at an angle or laterally so as to form a lateralstresses against the rail are borne by the base flanges corresponding to the flanges 2 of the present invention, but it will be evident to those skilled in the art to which this invention refers that the arrangement hereinbefore described assures the distribution of the stresses against the tread member A to the web portion of the rail which by reason of the formation of the cooperating flanges 8 and 9 adequately reinforce the rail construction to withstand such stresses.

The'relative length of the rail members A and B may be approximately the same. but it is preferable that they be arranged in the laying of the rail so that the ends of two tread members will meet substantially in the middle of a cooperating base member, thus making the joints of the tread members strong and smooth, as well as relatively rigid, preventing the wearing of the ends of the tread surfaces as is usual in the ordinary construction of rails now em ployed. This arrangement, furthermore, dispenses with the necessity for fish plates or other devices for securing the rails together. The tie engaging flange or bead 1 of the base member in laying of the rail is engaged with the tie and by reason of the interlocking disposition mentioned, spreading of the rails will be effectually prevented by reason of the cooperation of this bead and the fastening members which pass through the openings 3 in the base flanges 2.

One of the economical advantages which is inherent to the rail construction described hereinbefore as my invention is due to the fact that when the tread surfaces of the track have become worn by constant use it is only necessary to replace the tread A in its chair or base member B and this repair may be accomplished without withdrawing the fasteningmembers for the base portion which would result in the necessity of the formation of new holes in the ties to insure proper securing ofthe rail as is necessary in the replacement of a rail such as is now in common use.

In F ig. 2 I have shown a slightly modified. arrangement of rail construction in which the base member B is formed with the bead 1 while the side portions of the sheet metal are bent to form the horizontal flanges 2 and the lateral edges thereof are bent upwardly to form the web portion at, these edge portions being of equal length and disposed in contiguous relation to each other so as to extend upwardly between the web portions of the tread member A which web is formed by the spaced elements 5-5'. The same inherent resilient action is procured by this formation of the rail as is incident to the formation in the preferred embodiment.

Other slight changes in the details of construction of the parts of which the rail of my invention consists may be made with out departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the claims here to appended.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is:

1. A- rail of the class described comprising a tread member, and a base member comprising a sheet of metallic material bent to form a resilient receptacle for said tread member.

2. A rail of the class described comprising a tread member, and a base member comprising a sheet of metallic material bent to form a receptacle for said tread member and having a tie engaging flange formed thereon whereby to prevent lateral movement of the rail.

3. A rail of the class described comprising a tread member, and a base member comprising a sheet of metallic material bent so as to form a web portion for interlocking engagement with the tread member.

4. A rail of the class described comprising a tread member, and a base member comprising a sheet of metallic material bent back upon itself so as to form a base flange and a web portion adapted for interlocking engagement with the tread member.

5. A rail of the class described comprising a tread member, and a base member comprising a sheet of metallic material, the longitudinal edges of which are bent back upon themselves so as to form resilient base flanges upon which the tread member is seated.

6. A rail of the class described compriscomprising a sheet of metallic material bent back upon itself to form resilient base flanges, the edge portions being bent upwardly to form a web portion, and one of said edge portions being bent again laterarly to form a lip adapted to act as a seat for the tread member.

8. A rail comprising a tread member formed With an ofistanding flange, and a base member of sheet metal bent to form a receptacle with which said flange cooperates for interlocking engagement.

9. A rail comprising a tread member formed with a web portion and an offstanding flange, and a base member of sheet metal bent back upon itself from opposite sides to form horizontal base flanges, said sides being again bent at angles to the base flanges to form a web portion one of said sides being again bent laterally to form an 01?- standing flange upon which the ofl'standing flange of the tread member is adapted to be seated, said base member having a tie engaging bead formed therebeneath.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MARSHALL R. BROWN. Witnesses:

Dow AIKIN, EMILY HENDERSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner 0! Patents. Washington, D. G. 

